The Emotional Farmer: New Tools for Stress Management & Business Development

Summary

Stress management & business development are critical components for healthy farms and ranches, but are rarely addressed, due to an overemphasis on production management.

Stress related problems in the U.S. cost $300 Billion annually, half of Americans report lying awake at night due to stress, and 75% of the U.S. reports living with moderate to extreme stress in their life. It is common for commercial organizations to address stress in the workplace due to the negative effects on productivity, but in agriculture, it is rarely addressed in normal business practices.

Business development presents itself as an additional challenge, as family farms struggle to find ways to offset inflationary costs of production in a commodity business model. Value-added agriculture has provided a new wave of encouragement, delivered with necessary education from University Extension services, Economic Development organizations, and agriculture Colleges and Universities. Despite these tools, agriculture producers’ frame of mind and belief systems often contribute to their inability to follow through with new opportunities.

The following presentation describes three (3) techniques and perspectives which can be used to manage stress in an effective way, as well contribute to all aspects of business development. The first topic addressed is Stress Management. Covered are statistics on stress, contributing factors, and management tools. The second subject covered is Intentionality. Often referred to as vision, goals, or focused thought, intentionality is rarely fully utilized, or even understood. This section covers research on intention, and how focused thought can have dramatic changes to business development, as well as personal development. Last, the subject of Energy Psychology (EP) is introduced. EP is a self administered technique which combines traditional Western talk therapy with Eastern Chinese medicine. EP can be used for top farm/ranch stresses, business development, as well as numerous other issues.